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The 54th annual Munich Security Conference (MSC) will be held from February 16th to 18th in Munich, Germany. Approximately 500 senior government officials from the United States, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Russia will participate in this meeting. According to the website, the conference agenda for the MSC 2018 will focus on the future role of the European Union as a global actor and its relations with Russia and the US. It will also discuss the growing threat to the international order, the conflicts in the Middle East, the deteriorating relations between the Gulf States in particular, and political developments in the Sahel region. Furthermore, the conference will emphasize tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapon programs.

MSC attracts leaders of the world’s major powers and international organizations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg have confirmed their participation. According to Ukrainian media The Kiev Mail, Ukrainian President Polosenko will deliver a speech concerning the Ukraine conflict and European security issues in the conference. The Normandy Four (Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France) Foreign Ministers level meeting will also be held during that time.

MSC also invites a number of giants from the security and intelligence communities, including the CIA Director, Mike Pompeo, director of British Secret intelligence service, Alex Younger and the Director of Mossad Yossi Cohen. The US Secretary of Defense James Matisse will also attend the meeting and give a speech. Before visiting Munich, Matisse will first visit Rome, Brussels, Stuttgart and other European cities. Matisse’s European Tour aims to reaffirm Europe’s core partnership with the United States, according to information by the U.S. Department of Defense official website. The United States National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster will participate in the conference with Matisse.

As the official government has not yet been established, an interim German government will attend the conference. The German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel is expected to attend and give a speech.

Currently, the official website has already published this year’s annual report entitled “To the brink – and back?”. The report notes that the 2017 international security order was challenged by unpredictable U.S. foreign policy, and that some regions and international conflicts have continued to deepen. In 2018, the world still faces destabilizing factors. Under Trump’s leadership, some US policies have largely abandoned the common values previously upheld and have shown little interest in regional and global affairs. Also, the United States’ decision to provide Ukraine with weapons of mass destruction is likely to reinforce the current impasse, and the future Ukrainian conflict will continue to increase tensions between Russia and the West.

MSC Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger said “Last year, the world came much too close to the brink of a significant conflict. The escalating rhetoric of individual decision-makers is a very disconcerting development. Whether on the Korean peninsula, in the Persian Gulf or in Eastern Europe – just a single wrong decision taken in this charged situation could quickly trigger a dangerous chain reaction. That is why it is all the more important to foster dialogue and encounters between key actors. “We are looking forward to seeing some good news that MSC will bring to the world at the end of this week.